Champions League changes explained: Swiss model, how it works, impact on Manchester United and Man City

There is nothing quite like a Champions League night that is always full of glitz and glamour. The anthem, the crowds, the anticipation, the world's best stars flocking to the continental scene for fans across the world to gawp at in awe. There really is no occasion like it.

Of course, there is a select group of teams that almost always qualify for the group stages. Real Madrid have done so consistently since the mid-90's, Juventus and Manchester City have been on a similar streak for a decade, and Barcelona have landed in the draw for 20 years. And, whilst the Champions League can be a closed book in terms of certain teams rarely making the grade to face worldwide giants such as the aforementioned, the chance to play at those historic stadiums is generally what has fans continuing to dream year in, year out.

So with that in mind, many will be delighted to hear that the Champions League is being expanded from 32 to 36 teams for the start of the 2024 season - affording other teams from the continental a chance to play Europe's elite. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin stated upon the new proposal that the evolved format "will still keep alive the dream of any team in Europe to participate in the UEFA Champions League thanks to results obtained on the pitch, and it will enable long-term viability, prosperity, and growth for everyone in European football, not just a tiny, self-selected cartel."

But just how will such a competition work in the long-term? Manchester Evening News details how you will now see your favourite team or selected underdog navigate the competition.

As already mentioned, the main change is that the 32 teams - currently consisting of eight groups with four teams in each group - is set to be changed to 36.. However, the group stage format itself will also be scrapped - with a single league of 36 teams instead being the preferred method.

As already mentioned, the main change is that the 32-team group stage - which consists of eight groups with four teams in each group - is set to be scrapped. However, from 2024 onwards, the group stage format itself will be scrapped - with a single league of 36 teams instead being the preferred method.

With the new format, clubs involved in the competition will play four more matches per season - at least. There will be no home and away fixtures as it the case in the present day; instead, clubs will play 10 different teams, with five being at home and five being away.

This, of course, means that clubs will harbour bigger hopes of potentially being able to host the wealth of talent that comes with the Champions League's prestige.

With four more teams being added, the next question brought about is how the criteria will be selected for new entries.

Slot one will be awarded to the club that finishes third in UEFA's fifth-highest league, determined via coefficients points from nations performing well in European competitions such as the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.

Slot two will be awarded to one of the continent's domestic champions, via an extension from four clubs to five in terms of the clubs currently qualifying through the 'Champions Path'.

And finally, slots three and four will be awarded to the two clubs with the highest club coeffecients that have NOT qualified for the new 'league stage' of the Champions League, although they must have qualified for the qualification stage or Europa League/Europa Conference League.

Taking this season as an example, the teams that would be permitted entry to the Champions League would be AS Monaco for slot one and either Bodo/Glimt of Norway or Craven Zvezda of Serbia for slot two.

Manchester United and Villarreal would act as slots three and four as they both failed to qualify for the Champions League group stages.

So now that we've established who will qualify for the 'league stage', how can teams get themselves out of it?

With three points for a win and one point for a draw, the top eight teams will automatically advance to the round of 16, with those finishing between ninth and 24th entering a play-off round.

Teams ranked between ninth to 16th will be seeded, whilst those falling into the gap between 17th and 24th will be unseeded. The twelve teams below that will be eliminated.

The eight winners from the play-offs will then enter the last-16 - with the competition then showing some form of normality as it emulates the current format from that point forward.

There is an old saying: 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'.

The Champions League has not changed format since 2003/04, when Porto won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho. Yes, that long ago...and it is almost unfathomable to see change happen to a tournament structure that people know and understand so well.

However, UEFA state on their website that the new format will mean "more opportunities to see Europe's top teams playing each other earlier in the competition".

"Every game counts, and there will be a new league format that ensures any result has the potential to dramatically change a team's position until the last match day. Winning or losing could make the difference between a side automatically qualifying for the last 16, entering the play-offs or being eliminated form the competition."

That does make sense; often, some of the last two games can result in 'damp squib' games - where the outcome does not affect the position of either team.